The Twist In The Marriage Law
by AmethystStrawage
Summary: Hermione Granger had done many things one would consider the epitome of brave. From battling a mountain troll at only eleven, to being one of the major key factors in bringing down You-Know-Who. She had gotten out of life-threatening situations, such as the one at Malfoy Manor. But even she couldn't find a way out of this...
1. Immortal Words

Not a single sound could be heard in the Great Hall. Many would find this unusual, as there is ALWAYS some noise in the Great Hall. It was a part of Hogwarts after all. But not now. Right now there was only silence. Many were beginning to believe that 'Silencio' had been placed over them. Until the chaos started a millisecond later.

"They can't do this!" was one cry.

"It's unjust!" was another. Many couples were crying, knowing it would most likely be the end for them. Neville looked like he could pass out. Seconds later, he did. Hermione was one of the few students who were still just sat there shocked. She looked up to see sad emerald eyes - Harry's eyes - looking back at her. He gave her a small, sad smile, before they both turned to Ron who was red and shaking with anger. Unlike so many people believed, after the war was over, Hermione and Ron didn't get together. They had decided they worked better as friends, and everything had returned to how it usually would have been for the past seven years, with the two of them nearly constantly bickering good-naturedly. Well, until this happened. Startling nearly everyone in the hall, the magnified voice of Minerva McGonagall fell over them all, screaming the word,

"SILENCE!"

Almost immediately, everybody shut up and sat down. Professor McGonagall stood behind the podium and looked out at her students, from the seventh years, to the eighth years. Yes, that's right, eighth years. Everyone who's learning time at Hogwarts had been affected by Voldemort or his followers had been allowed to come back and learn what they had missed, including Fred and George Weasley. They may have been the oldest students in the school, but they didn't mind. They liked all the extra attention they got. Of course, their being back in school did mean that Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes would be closed for the most of the year, but they were still taking orders via owl. Minerva sighed heavily before beginning again,

"As I said earlier, I have no say in this marriage law. I know how badly this must affect you, but please, try and get to know your obligated spouse so you don't end up trapped in a miserable marriage. Now in a minute a list shall appear in front of me, and I will begin to read out who will be paired up with who. Please try not to make to much of a fuss. I am deeply sorry this has happened to you." For the second time that day there was only silence in the Great Hall. A lot of shaky deep breaths could be heard from people all around the rooms, hoping they got paired with their other half, and if not them then someone decent. Then with a loud CRACK! a house elf appeared, handed Professor McGonagall a long piece of parchment, before disappearing with another loud CRACK! McGonagall decided it would be best just to put the poor children out of their misery and begin, so with a deep breath, she started calling out the names,

"Susan Bones and Seamus Finnegan, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, Fred Weasley and Millicent Bulstrode -" Shocked gasps were heard as those two names were called out.

"George Weasley and Hannah Abbott, Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown, Hermione Granger and... Draco Malfoy...?" McGonagall trailed off as a piercing sob went through the room, echoing off of the huge brick walls. Hermione couldn't help it; he was her childhood tormentor, and her Malfoy Manor torturer to an extent.

"NO!" screamed Harry and Ron in sync, though they knew it would do no good. Nearly every face was on Hermione, as she sobbed into her hands. Nearly every face, because Fred Weasley had stood up and was slowly walking up to the teachers table. As Hermione's sobs subsided to mere whimpers, all eyes were now on Fred, Hermione's too. He stood in front of McGonagall now, towering above her, as he said the words no-one would ever have expected. The words that later would become immortal inside the walls of Hogwarts.

In a calm, quiet, yet subtly forceful voice, he spoke the words,

"Change the pairings. Put Hermione with me."

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**Hello! After reading a lot of Marriage Law stories, I decided to write my own. I can't promise this will get finished, or that it will get finished quickly, but I am willing to try. I'm sorry it's quite short, but for me this is a long chapter! I will try and make the other chapters longer, if not the same length as this definitely. I can promise, though, that if I don't get at least 2 reviews for each chapter, I will definitely not write any more to do with it. As for my other story The World Wide Gaming Web Of Love, it is very unlikely I will ever continue to write it. However, I will leave it up for people to read. Thanks for reading,**

**XxX Amethyst Straw-age XxX**


	2. A Talk To Remember

**I decided to break my own rule. Please Rate, Review, Follow Favourite and/or PM me. Sorry it's so short. :/ **

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Shock. Wonder. Amazement. Confusion. At least one of these emotions passed through everyone who was in the Great Hall. All of those emotions and more went through Hermione. Why was Fred doing this? Surely the brotherly instincts all the Weasley boys had for Hermione only ran so deep, not deep enough to do this. Did they? Hermione felt dizzy in confusion.

'A dream,' she thought,' it has to be. Just a terribly confusing dream.' She pinched herself. Nothing changed. Again, again. Still, nothing happened. She wasn't the only one that was unsure of the reality in front of her. The only remotely happy one in the Great Hall was Draco, who was internally (and cautiously) celebrating the prospect of not having to marry 'the annoying, know-it-all, bushy-haired, mudblood bookworm,' as he called her. Though not to her face anymore.

'Still,' he thought to himself, 'even MILLICENT BULLSTRODE is better to marry than her.'

Professor McGonagall was the first one to break the dream-like silence.

"Mr Weasley, Fred, I... I don't know if I can help you. I will do my best to, though. In the morning after breakfast, I will take yourself and Miss Granger to the Ministry to see Kingsley. He is the Minister Of Magic, if anyone can change this, he can. Until then, consider your pairs swapped. Mr Weasley and Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy and Miss Bullstrode. All of you who's pair has been announced may leave. Your new dorms will have the gentleman's first initial and last name, followed by the ladies first initial and her maiden name. This will be magically altered when you get married or if you change rooms. The dorms can be located in the Room Of Requirement. To get in, just think the words, Marriage Law. I trust you all know where the Room Of Requirement is," she paused for a minute to listen to the quiet murmurs of 'Yes Professor,' before continuing," Very well then, off you all go. As for the rest of you, stay seated until I call out your pair. Dean Thomas, Paravati Patil." McGonagall began the list again as all of the people who's name had already been called (including Dean and Paravati) headed out of the hall. Luckily, all seventh and eight year students had no lessons until the following Monday, and as luck would have it, it was a Thursday. Harry, Ron and Hermione had just stepped over the thresh-hold of the Great Hall, and were about to begin making their way towards the room of requirement when a pale, freckle-covered arm shot out in front of Hermione and prevented her from continuing on her way.

"Hermione?" the familiar, usually laughter-filled voice said,"Can I talk to you?" Hermione cast a short glance at her two friends, Harry, who was nodding his head slightly, telling her to go, and Ron, who had frozen, and was now sending an unwavering, hard glance towards his older brother. Hermione was unsure, but decided to take Harry's silent advice. After all, he had always been the calmer, more rational of her two best friends.

"Uh, sure Fred." She said lightly, hoping to decrease any tension there was between the two of them. In reply, Fred nodded his head, before leading Hermione outside to an abandoned courtyard. Hermione shivered slightly in the Autumn breeze, and through anticipation of the conversation to follow. Fred stopped short and turned back to face her; piercing brown eyes sending more chills through her.

"I'm going to talk, and I'd really appreciate it if you'd just listen. You're my brother's best friend, and by default you're my friend, practically my sister. If Ginny had ended up with Ferret-Face, George, Harry, Ron and I would've done anything we could to help. I was just the first one to react in this situation, and this was the first solution I could come up with. I hope you understand." Leaving Hermione shell-shocked, Fred abruptly turned, and marched back inside. Where, Hermione had no idea. Maybe he'd gone to the Room Of Requirement, or maybe he'd gone to seek out George. Whatever the case maybe, Hermione broke out of her trance-like state, and went back inside of the school in search of Harry and Ron. Exactly ninety two seconds later, she found them in the Gryffindor common room.

"So," Harry began, his curiosity burning in his vibrant eyes, "how'd the talk go?" Internally sighing and wishing she could keep at least SOME things private, she relayed MOST of the conversation to them. Harry looked ever so slightly unconvinced, not enough for Ron, who looked relieved and thoughtful, to pick up on, but it was clear for Hermione. After a moment though, the look was gone and the three amigos began to chat about everything the other two had missed out on during the holidays, swapping stories and trading opinions. Apparently though, the trio talked longer than they realised as a magical announcement was suddenly heard over every inch of the school grounds telling all students to go to dinner. Just after Ron left the common room, and just as she was about to, Hermione heard a voice she'd known seven years quietly whisper into her ear,

"We'll talk later." Hermione gulped. She should have known Harry wouldn't just let this go...

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**I know I said I would only update if I got two reviews, but I'd already written it, so I figured, 'Why not?' I'm sorry this chapter is so short, I swear it looked and felt longer before I uploaded it. I really hope you enjoyed this. If I get two new Rates, Reviews, Favourites, Followers, or PM's I will promise to update, until then, there will not be any new post from me. Love you all,**

**Amethyst Straw-age XxX**


	3. Plans & Panic Attacks

**Hello again! I want to thank everyone who read, reviewed, favourite, and followed this story. To my reviewer called Guest, I realised you were right, so I'm going to stop demanding reviews and such. Now on with the story!**

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It was official. Millicent Bulstrode was the most horrid creature to have ever crossed the planet, let alone the school. Draco was sure he was losing brain cells just by being in the same building as her. So, that leaves any place in Hogwarts unsafe. Draco sighed, trying hard to ignore the constant nattering of what sounded like a man's voice in his hair. The idea made him snicker quietly.

"It isn't funny Draco! Honestly, she had no right to take that dress..." and their the she-male went again. _'Guess it's time to go for a nice, long walk,'_ an agitated Draco thought.

"Uh listen, Millicent, McGonagall wanted to see me, alone, so..." and then he bolted from the room. However, the last part of his sentence had been an accident, and had actually gotten him thinking. _'I bet the mudblood wouldn't complain to me like that. She'd probably just ignore me. Maybe, if I play my devilish good looks, charm and wit right, I can convince McGonagall to leave Granger paired with me... Hmm, now how to convince them. Maybe a bit of dramatic, secret love will convince her. Yes, that'll do this Slytherin trick.'_ and then in victorious stride, he turned on his heel and went to see McGonagall.

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Just as Draco was about to turn the final corner, he heard two voices. Two famous voices.

"I know you didn't tell us everything Hermione, so spill. What's missing from the puzzle pieces you've given us." Potter's voice was quiet, yet demanding. A feminine sigh was heard before a tired, desperate voice sounded,

"It was his eyes Harry! They were burning! I know there's more to his side of the story than he told me, I just wish I knew what it was! He scared me Harry. It looked like he was desperate for something! I, I just..." a sob was heard next. Then a lot of panting.

"Harry.. Can't, can't breathe..." So faint he could barely hear her words, Draco decided it was time to make his entrance and find out what was going on. He just couldn't ignore the small, nagging voice in his head that was telling him to check on Hermione. He was shocked at what he saw. Potter was sat on his legs, looking paler than usual and extremely worried, with a dead-looking Hermione resting on his knees. The only thing that showed she was still alive was the heavy rise and fall coming from her chest. She was panting. In a bout of anxiety, Draco barked,

"Potter! What the hell have you done to her!?" Startled from the unexpected entrance, Harry looked up before replying,

"I... I don't know! One minute she was fine, then the next..." He trailed off before starting up again,

"Listen Malfoy, just wait here with while I go and get a Professor t-"

"Honestly Potter, use your scarred brain! She could be dead by then, give her here!" And with that, Draco swooped down, picked up the panic-ridden Hermione bridle style, before breaking into, a not-so-gentle-run in the direction of the Hospital Wing, Harry hot on his trail.

With Draco's long legs and Harry's desperation, they had reached the Hospital Wing in under five minutes. Draco burst through the doors,

"Madam Pomfrey, help her! Help her!" he yelled, before the elder witch appeared. Upon sight of Hermione, she said quickly,

"Put her on the bed, dear, then go wait by my office. You too, Mr Potter." Malfoy did as he was told, before going to join Harry by Madam Pomfrey's office.

"What happened Potter?" Malfoy harshly whispered to the worried looking boy, "Why is she in hear, huh?" With child-like wide eyes, Harry whispered back,

"I don't know. We were talking about... something, then she said she couldn't breathe and collapsed. I managed to catch her before she hit the ground, and then you came round the corner." With a sharp nod, Draco turned back to where Madam Pomfrey had drawn the bed curtains. He heard Harry say,

"I hope she'll be ok." '_Me too Potter,' _he thought_, 'Me too.'_

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A half an hour later, Madam Pomfrey emerged from the curtains, and announced,

"It seems that Miss Granger has had a panic attack. It's very lucky you got her here when you did, if you had even been a second longer, she would have been dead for sure. I suggest you go to your dorms, boys, as it is nearly curfew, and I will be keeping Miss Granger for at least the nest two nights. I bid you good evening." She then turned and left, heading into her office. As Harry and Draco left the Hospital Wing, Harry turned and said,

"Thanks for your help, Malfoy." With the curt reply of, 'Anytime, Potter' the two boys headed to the Room Of Requirement. As Draco entered his dorm room, he was greeted with the words,

"Oh, there you are Drakie-Poo! I've been wondering where you were! You know, Pansy just showed me the cutest pair of shoes..." Draco softly groaned. _'Here we go again...'_

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**Ok, so that was the end of chapter three! Sorry my chapters are so short, but, I guess I'm just not cut out for really long chapters. Oh well! I want to thank everyone who is supporting this story, it really means a lot to me. Please R&R, F&F, and/or PM me. Ok, well, hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Love you,**

**Amethyst Straw-age XxX**


	4. Conversations

**Hello again! Yes, I do still exist, and no, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth! Surprise! I don't have an excuse for not updating, so I'm not going to give you one. Please enjoy, sorry it's so short.**

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Only, Madam Pomfrey didn't end up keeping Hermione for two days. She ended up keeping her for just over three weeks. When morning came the day after she had been taken to the infirmary, and Hermione still hadn't woken up, Draco and Fred began to worry. When it had been two days, Draco, Fred, Harry and Ron began to worry. When three days had passed, all Gryffindor's had begun to worry. Within a week, the entire school was worrying about their beloved bookworm; Slytherin's included. Though Madam Pomfrey said it was just her body coping with the stress she had been under, and that she needed to recuperate, there were few people who actually believed her. However, 15 days after had been brought in, her chocolate iris' could once again be viewed. Despite the two week long wait, Madam Pomfrey forbade any visitors, for fear it would overwhelm the poor girl. She was extremely disorientated, and it was taking all of her concentration to pay attention to her surroundings. Two days later, though and she was able to sit up properly without help, and her concentration was now coming easy. Just to make sure she didn't have relapse, Madam Pomfrey decided to keep her until the Friday night. All of her friends were waiting for her just outside of the Hospital Wing, ready to escort her to the Great Hall. Hermione was elated at her friends' kind behaviour; they'd even taken notes for her, and brought her all of her homework. She had no idea of the drastic things that would occur tomorrow. For now, all was fine in the Gryffindor Princesses head.

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Draco had decided he was going to see Professor McGonagall to set his plan in action the moment Hermione woke up. He had secretly placed a charm over her on her fifth night in the Hospital Wing that would alert him when she was five minutes from waking. It worked out extraordinarily well for Draco, as it happens. It went off in his free period, an hour before dinner. Draco jumped to his feet the second it went off, disabled the charm, then practically sprinted towards Professor McGonagall's office. When he arrived, he explained to her his 'sob story' to the slightly shocked Professor. He told how he had always secretly loved Hermione, but was always too scared to do anything about it, for fear of how his family would react. He said how shocked he had been when their names had been called out together that he had been frozen, and was unable to stop Fred's protests until it was too late. As his supposed tale unravelled, he realised just how much of this story was true. How he WAS worried about Hermione in the Battle Of Hogwarts, and how he DID love the way her eyes lit up when she smiled. Just as he was coming to the end of his carefully woven tale, he realised: it wasn't just an act, he really DID love Hermione Jean Granger (how he knew her middle name, he was not quite sure). His voice broke on the last word of his story, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his entire body shook with his gut-wrenching sobs. He was utterly heart broken. '_She will never love me_,' he thought bitterly,' _after all I have done, how could she bear to look into my eyes?_' The Hogwarts Headmaster stared down at the broken, sobbing, pale boy sat before her and knew it was all true. She had seen it in his eyes the moment he realised it. When he had first come into the room and began his speech of sorts, she knew he wasn't being honest to her. The moment he began to talk, she had decided that unless he showed her the pure emotion of love in his eyes, she would turn him away, refuse to help him. But when his voice faltered right at the very end, she could see the realisation and love in his eyes. She knew he was no longer lying. She knew he truly loved the extraordinary girl. She knew she should help him. '_If only I hadn't over-heard Fred and George's conversation the other night, I would be able to truly help him, in a heart-beat_,' she thought to herself, distraught.

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_It had been late. Past the hour of midnight, as Minerva McGonagall walked down the renewed corridors of Hogwarts when she heard them talking. She had quickly recognised the voices. Frederick Gideon and George Fabien Weasley. They seemed to be talking (albeit a bit heatedly) about something._

_"What can I do?! This is insanity!"_

_"Whoa there mate, calm down a bit. Now, what exactly is the matter with you right now, oh brother of mine?"_

_"It's HER Georgie!"_

_"Who, Fred?"_

_"Mione. She's all I seem to think about. I... I think I like her Georgie boy."_

_"Jesus, Freddiekins, you sure do pick 'em! Fancy picking such an uptight, book-warmish, pompous, irrita-"_

_"Shut UP George!"_

_"Sorry mate."_

_"It's, fine, it's fine. But what can I do?"_

_"Alright Fred. Here's what we'll do..."_

_By this point, Minerva had had enough. She quickly and quietly turned on her heel and headed back to her office. That was a private conversation, that he really wished she hadn't heard. _

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It had been only yesterday that this slightly terrifying turn of events had happened. As McGonagall looked at the pale boy in front of her, and thought of the fiery red-head, she didn't know what to do. There was no way that this situation could be sorted out within the allotted time given by the Minister Of Magic. Mentally sighing, Minerva made her decision. Apparently a certain blond, prankster and bookworm would be taking a trip to the Ministry sometime next week. '_Lord only knows how that will work_,' a worried Headmaster thought.

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**So, yeah HI! I hope you liked this chapter. Now, I know this might not be fair of me, but I'm going to do it anyway: REVIEWS BUY CHAPTERS! The more reviews, the long the chapters. Thank you for all of the support I have been given though. Sorry the chapter's so short, but I'm working on making them longer. I love you all. **

**Amethyst Straw-age XxX**


	5. A Hidden Talent

**WARNING, WARNING PLEASE READ!: THIS MAY CONTAIN THINGS THAT COULD TRIGGER PEOPLE, SUCH AS ANOREXIA, HOMOSEXUALITY, AND DEPRESSION. THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE READING, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

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Many people thought of Ronald Billius Weasley as an idiot. and unsubtle, unemotional, lacking-common sense boy. Oh, how wrong they were. No, Ron was not the smartest in the class, with a perfect GPA, and no, the things he did and said weren't always clear with reason. But by no means did that mean that Ron was an idiot. He saw things that other people missed, that other people over-looked. He saw the depressed, suicidalness in the girl who had killed herself in the trio's third year at Hogwarts. He had known it was because of bullying over her height, or there lack of that had caused it. He saw the anorexia and bulimia in Padma Patil, her desperateness to be thinner, more beautiful, like her twin sister. Many thought that when she had died during the Battle Of Hogwarts, it had been because of a fatal curse, but they had been wrong, so very, very wrong. The truth was that she hadn't eaten in just over two weeks, using an enchantment to prevent (or at least prolong) her death. However, in the rush of the battle, she had simply forgotten to perform the charm, making her pass out, then killing her instantly when the final remnants of the spell wore off. Ron saw how Cho Chang was desperately losing her grip on reality after the death of Cedric, under all the pressure, clinging to anything and everything that would make her feel alive. It was only last month she was committed to an insane asylum. Ron saw how his older brother Charlie hadn't found the 'perfect girl' in his mum's words, because he was in fact, gay. Honestly, it wasn't hard to tell if you just looked closely at his eyes, and watched his lingering stares at the boys as they were changing in the Quidditch change room. He saw Percy's slight dyslexia, which is why he was always so up-tight, wanting to study every second to ensure he didn't disappoint his family or his Professors. He saw Neville's braveness, even before Neville did himself. He saw Cedric Diggory's self-esteem issues whenever he saw him practicing for the Triwizard Tournament, crumbling under the stress his father was giving him about winning. He saw George's lack off confidence, Lavender's anxiety, Dumbledore's secrecy, even Snape's true goodness, no matter how often Ron may have complained about him. All of this, of course, meant that Ronald Weasley also saw love. Failing love, secret love, unrequited love, true love, all of it. He saw how Bill and Fleur didn't really marry out of love, but because Fleur was 2 months pregnant with a baby she lost three weeks after the wedding. He saw how Seamus Finnegan always pined after Dean Thomas, and how Dean felt the same way, yet neither said anything, he saw how Draco Lucius Malfoy had slowly began falling in love with Hermione Granger during their second year, and how Hermione never noticed, not once. The last type of love he saw, TRUE love, was not between his parents, oh no, that marriage had been faltering for a long time, but between the famous Harry Potter and his baby sister Ginny. Their love was pure, and he knew it would never die. So no, Ronald Billius Weasley was NOT an idiot, merely someone who was talented, and preferred to keep it hidden, lest people tried to use it for selfish desires. While Ron may have been tactless, he knew, he had always known: Hermione Jean Granger would get all she deserved, but she would have to fight damn hard to get it.

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**Hello, sorry about kind of screaming at you at the beginning, but I needed people to see it. This piece is slightly darker than my previous chapters, but I feel this chapter will be extremely important to the story. About the charm Padma used, one of my friends told me it was very unrealistic, but I would like to point out:**

**1: It was actually a charm to prolong death, like with Dumbledore's curse, Padma was just HOPING it would stop her from dieing.**

**2: By this time in the wizarding world, many new charms have been thought up, this one included. So yes, in this fanfic, that spell is real.**

**3: This is fanFICTION it is not by any means real, and as I am the author, I decide how things play out.**

**Thanks for reading and remember: REVIEWS BUY CHAPTERS! I cannot stress this enough. Thank you to those who followed, favourite, and reviewed. Hope ypu enjoyed this filler chapter, sorry it's so short. Much love,**

**Amethyst Straw-age XxX**


	6. Meetings & Decisions

**Hi again! Sorry for the long wait. And sorry for any mistakes. R&R!**

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"I see." Kingsley Shacklebolt said in his low, deep tone, staring at the three teenagers in front of him, as well as Minerva McGonagall who was stood in the corner of his office, watching the situation unfold. Fred stood on the left, his stance strong and his eyes hard yet pleading. There was obviously more to his side of the story than just,

"She's like my sister, except I can help her. He's an evil ferret, she'll be dead within a week of their marriage." Draco stood on the right, standing as if he was being stretched in an impeccably straight manor, his face void of any emotion, and his eyes a veiled steel grey. Kingsley wasn't too sure about his position in all of this. On one hand, he may just be playing everyone because he doesn't want to marry the horrible (and yes, even Kingsley admitted she was a selfish brat) Millicent Bulstrode, who was more man than woman. On the other hand, he did truly seem to love Hermione, the emotion shining in his eyes every time he looked at Hermione. Thee aforementioned girl stood in the middle of both the boys, looking down and wringing her hands.

"Well children, if you would be so kind as to wait outside a moment while I talk to your Professor, that would be wonderful." As the seconds ticked by and no one moved, Kingsley cleared his throat and sharply spoke again,

"That was an order." The teens quickly hurried out of the door, and McGonagall moved to one of the chair in front of Kingsley's desk. Why the children hadn't used them, they didn't know. Maybe it was nerves.

"McGonagall."

"Minister." came the curt reply. Kingsley sighed, sitting back in his chair. He knew this would be a difficult issue to solve.

"What are your thoughts on this?" he asked calmly, "How do you think we can solve this? Is there anything else I should know?"

"Well, there's more to these stories than either of us should know..." And with that came the recount of the overheard conversation between Fred and George.

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Outside of the office, Hermione was worrying. The adults had been in there a very long time. She was pretending to be asleep, as she had for the last 20 minutes. Suddenly, she heard an irritated sigh next to her.

"What the hell is taking them so long?" It was Draco's sharp tone.

"I don't know, do I?"

"Shut it Weasley."

"Nah, sorry. It's too much fun annoying you." There was the sound of impact followed by,

"OW! Was that really necessary now Malfoy?"

"Yes."

"Ooh, touchy aren't we?"

"I'm serious Weasley, if you don't shu-"

"Give it a rest Malfoy, I'm only messing. What is up with you anyway?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why do you care about Mione all of a sudden?"

"I've always cared, imbecilic fool. What about you, thought she was only a know-it-all bookworm as far as you were concerned?"

"She's something special mate. Actually, that reminds me. Hey, Malfoy?"

"What is it now?"

"If you win this and get to marry her, treat her good, yeah? Don't be the selfish brat you were as a kid."

Draco's tone softened as he answered,

"You have my word Weasley."

Seconds later, the office door opened, and the children were called back into the room, after they had 'woken up' Hermione.

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Inside the office, Hermione's nerves returned full force. She was thankful when Kingsley immediately began speaking.

" We have reached a conclusion. Ms Granger will spend one week living with each suitor, while the other one stays in school and continues as normal. You both will be moved to a house in a completely secret location, and will only be allowed to leave with each other. We will place a spell on the house. During that time, you will get to know each other. After the two weeks are up, you Ms Granger will decide on your fiancé. As Mr Malfoy was your original chosen husband, he shall be first. We will move you next Monday. Until then, none of you have any classes. Use this time as reflection. Goodbye now." And the students were quickly whisked away by portkey into Hogwarts. There certainly was a lot of reflection that needed doing.

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**Yes, I live! I know it isn't very long (as per usual) and there will be mistakes. Sorry! Hope you enjoyed, and remember: REVIEWS BUY CHAPTERS! Sorry for the demandingness.**

**Thanks,**

**Amethyst Straw-age XxX**


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